Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication

In episode 149 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Zac Loveless, game designer and owner of Lovemore Games, about how anything can provide inspiration; for instance, a random Instagram post about beetles that was the catalyst for our featured game, Jewel Box. Major topics include the differences between educational games vs. games you can learn from, the knowledge you gain from creating a themed game, how to decipher and apply playtest feedback, incorporating classic mechanics into something new, and “theme” collectors. We also dig into how to come up with a name for your game, the origin behind Lovemore Games (as opposed to Loveless Games), symbiotic publisher/designer relationships, designing around a theme or mechanic before gameplay, and why butterflies are, in theory, the most well-liked insect. Featuring: Zac Loveless - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 148 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Jason Wong, the designer of PocketParks, a set-collecting card game featuring all 63 US National Parks, with gameplay inspired by Chinese Mahjong. Jason has visited all 63 US National Parks (he has a water bottle full of stickers to prove it), and featured his own photography from those trips in the game. We talk about how noticing the similarities and differences in the parks inspired the game, drawing on Mahjong and classic games for mechanics, choosing what information to include on cards, and why he chose a tin for the packaging. We also discuss using crowdfunding as a tool to understand your audience, the importance of getting outside for your mental health (did you stand up from your desk today?), why it is important to play published games, and how a game can inspire people to explore the real world! Featuring: Jason Wong - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 147 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with the designer of Lava Run, Louie Loops, whom listeners may also recognize as the professional crocheter and content creator behind the YouTube channel “Louie’s Loops” and Club Crochet. Louie shares how childhood game-making and a creative challenge called “New Game” sparked his interest in design, and how he eventually merged his love of crochet with game design to create “craftable games.” We discuss turning frustration into creative inspiration, balancing strategy and randomness, comeback mechanics, expansions, and what happens after a game is published. Louie also shares what it’s like to launch a game with an existing audience, market to non-gamers, and enter a new industry as a beginner after being an expert in his craft. Featuring: Louie Loops - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 146 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Ionah Nguyen, a Seattle-based board game designer and founder of the board game studio Brainy Hearty. Ionah is also the co-founder and CEO of Everjoy Global, a company dedicated to bringing Vietnamese tabletop games to international publishers and distributors by creating opportunities for Vietnamese designers to gain visibility and connections in the industry. In this episode, we discuss how games can be used to preserve tradition and bridge cultures through play, accessibility feedback from playtesters, colorblind adjustments, the unique production challenges of manufacturing handcrafted game components, and some of the barriers to entry encountered by international designers. Featuring: Ionah Nguyen - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 145 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with game designer and owner of Ludoliminal, Sabrina Culyba, about the story behind her completely accurate, family-friendly dinosaur game Uh Oh, Dino! Sabrina shares how after spending 13 years in the video game industry, she found her way into tabletop game design through a game design contest that challenged participants to create a game from a random bag of components. We talk about how playing games with her young daughter inspired her passion for designing family games, and why cooperative games have become such a meaningful way to bring players of different ages together. The episode also covers the impact of tactile components when designing and games for children, balancing cooperative games, self-publishing, how everyone has a "dino era," and the differences between playtesting with children and adults. Featuring: Sabrina Culyba - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 144 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with freelance game designer and co-founder of Postmark Games, Matthew Dunstan. Matthew shares how his curiosity for understanding what happens behind the scenes led him from being a sports referee and umpire in Australia to moving to the UK, where a growing design community, weekly meetups, and a game design contest helped launch his full-time design career. Together, we discuss how digital playtesting has transformed the industry, designer compensation and contracts, collaborative design, how to create successful print-and-play games, and why building a stronger, more sustainable tabletop industry starts with supporting the people who create it. Featuring: Matthew Dunstan - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 143 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with board game designer and founder of Pink Hawk Games, Emily Vincent. After a career in software and UX design, Emily caught the game design bug when she realized the games she wanted to play simply weren't on the table. She shares how her love of afternoon tea inspired Pirates of the High Teas, leading to a great discussion on thematic integration, player motivation, and making mechanics feel believable. The episode also covers how Emily's UX background informs playtesting and player feedback, managing player expectations, game naming and SEO, overlooked maintenance mechanics, the realities of crowdfunding, the rise of delightfully unique themes in tabletop, and how embracing authenticity and challenging traditional ideas of professionalism can lead to greater success both in design and in life. Featuring: Emily Vincent - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 142 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with freelance game designer Rosco Schock about his first published game, Diplomacy: The Golden Blade, released by Renegade Game Studios. The conversation focuses on the challenge of translating the "feel" of a classic, beloved strategy game into a streamlined and more approachable card game experience. We also discuss the path from prototype to publication, finding the right publisher and timing for a licensed project, and balancing respect for a 60-year-old franchise while creating something new. Rosco explains how Diplomacy: The Golden Blade now serves as an on-ramp to the larger Diplomacy experience, why understanding a game's unique selling points matters, and how patience and persistence pay off in game design. Plus, we learn what a game triathlon is. Featuring: Rosco Schock - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 141 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with librarian and game designer, Lewis Graye, whose game design journey began after relocating to Syracuse, becoming part of the local tabletop scene, and participating in a game design contest at a wedding. They share the story of Lewis’ first published design, Inkwell, and its unexpected path to publication, which began as a playtest mechanic that DVC Games expanded into a full game whose theme was inspired by the animated movie, The Secret of Kells. The discussion continues into the use of historical, open source inscriptions for content, the importance of balancing gameplay so it stays fun without becoming overly cutthroat, adapting designs to publisher constraints like box size and component changes, how player experience can shift depending on the group, designing escape rooms, the importance of getting a playable prototype to the table early, and how the salt in the Syracuse water yields some pretty great game designers. Featuring: Lewis Graye - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 140 of Game Design Unboxed, we talk with Andrew Stiles, game designer and co-host of the podcast Tabletop Submarine, about how discovering GDU early in his design journey helped him better understand the tabletop space, and how a life reset during COVID (and a challenge to get a game signed in 6-months by his wife) sparked a career pivot into game design. We talk about his first game, Wine Cellar, and how the inspiration came from his previous background as a sommelier, prompting him to lean into the “design what you know” mentality. Andrew talks us through key development decisions, such as scaling player counts, reworking card math, and how table space and visibility shape the player experience. The episode also covers other topics, including the realities of breaking into the industry, the value of the UNPUB mentorship program, researching and targeting the right publishers, why smaller conventions are a great place to network for new designers, Board Game Arena (BGA) implementations, designing for non-gamers, and bad fonts that keep you up at night. Featuring: Andrew Stiles - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 139 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with Jade Shames and Ben Bronstein, co-founders of Pillbox Games and co-designers of this episode’s spotlight game, Side Effects. They talk about how a mental illness–inspired card game idea (later titled Side Effects) sparked their collaboration and company, the power of bold visuals, why skeletons make perfect models, the balance between realism and accessibility, adjusting setup rules for varying player counts, and being innovative when it comes to product design for your games. They also discuss homebrew variants, the all-too-familiar and disturbing medical side-effect warnings in commercials, and the hope that, if a misprint or typo occurs in print, it might become a collectible one day! Featuring: Jade Shames and Ben Bronstein - Guests Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 138 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with Edwin D. Benton II, Founder and CEO of Doin’ the Most Games, about how his journey into game design stemmed from an addiction to app games like Words With Friends and a frustration with their limitations. This inspired him to build his own inclusive, slang-driven app where players could contribute words from around the world, a mindset that evolved into the world of tabletop card games, which were gaining popularity at the time. We talk about the spontaneous vacation sing-along moment that sparked Song Survivor, his playtesting process (from parties with friends to blind tests), his passion for designing for players with disabilities and specific cultural groups, hiring experts, packaging for mass market (why box size matters), and leveraging celebrity endorsements (and how to get them). Featuring: Edwin D. Benton II - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 137 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with freelance game designer and developer for Druid City Games, Michael Mihealsick who shares industry insights from years of working for multiple companies, taking on freelance projects, and continually refining his game design craft. We discuss the rise of cozy game design and what that means for different players, the niche book-collecting concept featured in this episode's game highlight, "A Place for All My Books," and how ditching a victory point tracker allowed for a competitive game to still feel safe and inviting. Other topics in this episode include how games can adopt an audience or become a lifestyle experience, the feeling of being “typecast” as a designer, the definition of laundry day and frankenstein in game designer language and artwork differences for the same game in different countries. Featuring: Michael Mihealsick - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 136 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with freelance game designer (and Danielle’s co-designer on Tricky Kids), Steven Ungaro, who shares his “zero-to-three-games-in-a-year-hero” design journey. They discuss how discovering hobby games led him down the research rabbit hole many aspiring designers fall into, and how resources like the long-running Ludology podcast have evolved over the years. Because it is Steven’s specialty, the episode covers a lot about trick-taking games, including designing for “bad hands,” the genre’s popularity in the Midwest, and making it more accessible to non-trick-takers. They also talk about how playtest feedback can shift your perspective on terminology, mechanics, and rule clarity, common phobias in games, matching art aesthetics to theme, and how players can rely on familiar stories (like The Three Little Pigs) when learning new games. Featuring: Steven Ungaro - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 135 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with freelance game designer Kristen Mott, whose game design journey began with creating games for her kids to play at home to supplement homeschooling. We talk about how kids are great built-in playtesters, how her children’s interests were her thematic inspiration for designs, what kids learn through play, and the wild thematic evolution of Stable Times from a game about starfish, to tattooing sea monsters, to horses. Other topics include how co-designing expands your skills, the value of feedback, her experience self-publishing, and the realities of waiting on contracts, ghosting, and publisher limbo. The conversation also talks about adding personal Easter eggs to your game and the collection of real horses featured in Stable Times. Featuring: Kristen Mott - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 134 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with first-time game designer Reed Ambrose about his family-weight, tile-laying game Wispwood. Reed shares how his journey began with BoardGameGeek (BGG) contests just for fun, and how collaborating with published designers pushed his craft forward and helped him take design seriously. We discuss why design contests like the ones on BGG are a great starting point (structure! deadlines!), how an UNPUB speed-pitching event helped Reed get on publishers’ radar, and the eerie folklore behind Wispwood, inspired by his fascination with the ghostly forest lights known as Ignis Fatuus. We also cover what it’s like working with publishers, from building relationships to how pitches move through design and development teams, why having multiple themed prototypes matters, and the challenge of designing a solo mode that stays true to your game. This episode also opens with a brief bonus interview previewing March’s upcoming UNPUB Festival, an annual event hosted by the volunteer organization UNPUB focused on unpublished games and designers. The intro-chat highlights the event’s offerings, from industry-led panels and workshops to large-scale playtesting opportunities. Check out the convention March 12-15, 2026! Featuring: Reed Ambrose - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 133 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with game designer and Creative Director Paul Salomon about his innovative worker placement and tile-laying game, Honey Buzz. The conversation covers the creative path that led him from math, music, and juggling into tabletop game design, the balance between aesthetics and mechanics, designing with math in mind, and why a strong elevator pitch that clearly defines your game’s core theme and mechanics is essential when pitching. The episode also includes a thoughtful discussion on collaboration and co-designing, the differences between game designers and game developers, and the sometimes awkward conversations that can come with crediting creative work. Featuring: Paul Salomon - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 132 of Game Design Unboxed: Inspiration to Publication, Amanda Rivera returns from behind-the-scenes to behind-the-mic as a guest host to chat with Danielle about GDU's sixth season. They talk about how thematic season 6 was, recall insights about arguably one of the most common questions in game design (to pitch or self-publish), share how designers make games accessible and approachable, comment on the power of networking in the tabletop community, and share more about the amazing games and guests who were featured this season. Danielle also shares previews of her upcoming games and expansions, discusses the trials and tribulations of the gaming industry in 2025, and highlights trends she's noticed on the horizon. Other interesting highlights from the season six recap: How games can inspire connections between people (especially cooperative games that link players together with a common goal). Networking, networking, networking! How Amanda always needs to know the flavor text for who the first player is. Danielle explains the definition of her term "art correction" rather than art direction. Featuring: Danielle Reynolds - Guest Amanda Rivera - Guest Host

In episode 131 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with game designer Matt Leacock about his “infamous” game Pandemic. Matt explains how his path into game design was shaped by watching his artsy uncle create games as a hobby and by growing up surrounded by "bad" games from the 1970s that he couldn’t help but try to improve. We discuss how overly competitive family game nights pushed him toward cooperative play, and how his first true co-op game inspired him to design experiences where players succeed or fail together. That philosophy, paired with an interest in chain reactions and the cultural relevance of disease in the early 2000s became the foundation of Pandemic. We talk about the thought process behind the game’s map, designing with real-world locations, drawing from existing game mechanics, and the value of diverse and remote playtesting. We also discuss working on game expansions, legacy design, teamwork, and how strong design skills support better prototypes and long-term vision. Featuring: Matt Leacock - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host

In episode 130 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with game designer Joe Hout about his fairytale-themed trick-taking game, 3 Chapters, accessibility in gaming, and his design journey. Joe shares how his path into game design began by tweaking games he loved and then took off after completing a passion-project game he self-published via Kickstarter. We break apart 3 Chapters and how the creation of the game was a culmination of favorite mechanics and key moments from various games he’s designed over the years. This episode covers common barriers to entry in board games, from rule overload to games that are difficult to teach, and why familiar themes like fairytales can make learning feel intuitive. Joe and Danielle discuss how storytelling can help teach and pitch games - especially trick-taking games - which can feel frustrating or intimidating to players who are new to certain mechanics. Joe talks about the joy of hearing players say, “let’s play again,” the value of sticky rules that make it easy to return to a game after time away, and why a game’s weight matters less than its intended audience and purpose. We also discuss learning through design podcasts and tools, collaborating with great publishers, and how those relationships open doors across the tabletop industry. Featuring: Joe Hout - Guest Danielle Reynolds - Host